Movie review: 'The Brothers Bloom' a delightful meditation on life

Friday

May 22, 2009 at 12:01 AMMay 22, 2009 at 10:04 PM

Residing somewhere between the wacky world of Wes Anderson and the fantastical mores of “Pushing Daisies” lies “The Brothers Bloom,” a delightful meditation on life, love (both romantic and brotherly) and the art of the con.

Al Alexander

Residing somewhere between the wacky world of Wes Anderson and the fantastical mores of “Pushing Daisies” lies “The Brothers Bloom,” a delightful meditation on life, love (both romantic and brotherly) and the art of the con.

It’s a blast on its own, teeming with exotic locations, fascinating characters and playful sense of adventure. But none of it compares to the radiance of Rachel Weisz, who flat out steals the movie by channeling the best bits of Katharine Hepburn and Carole Lombard in a performance that’s the very definition of charm.

How she manages to look so beautiful yet come off so enchantingly naïve is a testament to the level of nuance she brings in fleshing out the role of Penelope, a reclusive heiress not too far removed from Edie Beale.

With no friends, no family and only her dozens of hobbies to keep her company, Penelope would seem an easy mark for a couple of sibling conmen like Mark Ruffalo’s Stephen and Adien Brody’s Bloom.

After all, the brothers have been practicing their craft since they were kids. But then they never met a mark like Penelope. And neither, I'm willing to bet, have you.

That’s how unique a portrait Weisz paints of a woman so thirsty for adventure it’s almost an honor for her to be played by the brothers, who whisk her off on a whirlwind journey through Europe and introduce her to a rogue’s gallery of colorful charlatans bearing monikers like The Curator (Robbie Coltrane), Diamond Dog (Maximillian Schell) and my favorite, the Chaplin-esque Bang Bang (“Babel” Oscar-nominee Rinko Kikuchi), a woman of few words and explosive actions.

Penelope eats up every minute of it, too, even after she realizes she’s being grifted. And Weisz makes you feel as giddy and intrigued as Penelope. Which is good because it’s through her eyes that we’re made privy to this quirky, fast-paced world that’s been romanticized to within an inch of its life by writer-director Rian Johnson.

Following up on his little-seen, critically acclaimed Hammett-in-high-school detective yarn “Brick,” Johnson again proves a filmmaker impossible to pigeonhole.

His influences, however, are crystal clear. In “Brick,” it was the dark cynicism of John Huston. Here it’s the surreal and eccentric stylings of Hal Ashby and Wes Anderson, two directors who never met a whim they didn’t indulge.

“Bloom” isn’t so much a rip-off of their works as it is an homage that serves as an entry point to Johnson’s alternative universe, where the old and modern worlds collide in sublime eccentricity.

The heart of the matter, though, is the film’s heart, which never skips a beat in depicting the swoon-inducing romance that ensues between Penelope and the love-struck Bloom.

It’s a pairing that benefits immensely from the chemistry generated by a pair of Oscar-winners in Weisz and Brody who worship at the altar of understatement. They are, for sure, one adorable couple.

Well, they are to everyone except Ruffalo’s Stephen. He’s the alpha bro in this scenario and even though he promises Bloom this will be their last job, it’s clear he’s not about to unhook the leash he’s held him on ever since they were bouncing from one foster home to another as delinquent children.

Ruffalo, who has always excelled at playing soulful rascals, does so again here, proving a likeable, but menacing foil for Brody’s golden-hearted romanticist.

Their relationship is every bit as absorbing as the love between Bloom and Penelope. And love is ultimately what “The Brothers Bloom” is all about, as it cleverly uses its cons to con you into letting it steal your heart.